Trolls and Ghosts
by TheZanyMaker
Summary: Danny was content with how his life played out. he has great friends, a loving family, and an exciting job as Amity Park's very own Danny Phantom! All was good... until he was transferred to Arcadia Oaks High for a student exchange. Now he has to adapt to life at Arcadia, without his friends or family. What could happen? Unfortunally, life doesn't favor Danny.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Everyone! This is my first fanfic, so i would like for all of you to read and review! ive been wanting to create this for a while now, and now, the first chapter is done! Of course, not all the chapters are going to be this short. I'll try to update every two weeks, and maybe even every week, but you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Trollhunters; those shows belong to the respective owners.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Danny had been content with how his life had played out. Of course, he still struggled with constant ghost attacks and his parents wacky way of living, but it had all become normal for him. He, his two best friends, and his older sister, Jazz, have become closer as the months rolled by, being able to take down every threat that came their way. He was used to it. All was as it should be, a quote he got from Clockwork, the Ghost of Time.

School was getting harder by the day, leaving Danny and his friends with a junk load of homework each night. It didn't help that Danny had to fight ghosts when they attacked during the classes.

Everything was expected.

Though what he didn't expect was a school exchange.

Mr. Lancer, the English teacher, had organized it all, with help from the Principal of Casper High, the school Danny went to, and the acting one from a high school in some other remote place. In the gymnasium, he had announced to the faculty and students that the principals of Casper High and Arcadia Oaks High have agreed to host a student exchange for a couple of weeks. Danny, at first, was not pleased with the announcement, but soon realized that he might not be going. After all, only about a handful of students from each grade were switching. Mr. Lancer had said that the list of students who would be switching schools would be posted the next day. So Danny had to just wait and see.

The next day, Danny had rushed to school early to be able to see the list before everyone else crowded around. He didn't have much luck with that. At the end of the hallway, there were students all crowding the list, including his best friends, Sam and Tucker. Calling their names, he joined them in the crowd of bustling students.

"So, you finally decided to show up early. This must be a new record! Mot of the time we don't see you until after first period." Sam joked, pulling Danny into the swarm. Danny laughed nervously.

"Don't get used to it," Danny replied, wiggling out of Sams's iron-like grip. "I'm only here to see the list. Honestly, with my luck, I expect my name to be on the top of it. Did you guys see it yet?"

Tucker shook his head.

"No not yet. It's hopeless! Even Dash woke up early to read it!" Tucker complained loudly, getting a few looks from the students around them. Tucker huffed in displeasure as Sam and Danny roll their eyes. Sam spoke up.

"If you sit here whining about it you'll never see it! Come on!" Sam replied hastily. She grabbed both of the boys' shirts by the collar and threw them forward, causing Danny to stumble into Paulina, who muttered, 'loser', under her breath and sashayed away.

"Sam! What you'd do that for?" Tucker whined to the wind, not entirely sure where Sam was.

"Divide and conquer, Tuck! Divide and conquer!" Sam yelled, smugness evident in her voice. Sam then yelled, "Hey, look! There is a taco truck pulling up outside the school!" And ran down the hallway, away from the list. The students cheered and gladly followed, leaving Danny and Tucker alone with the sheet of paper. Danny took this as an opportunity to read it, as the students would sure be clamoring back after realizing they've been duped.

He and Tucker stumbled over to the sheet of paper, excited and worried at the same time. Both of them skimmed over the text, their faces falling in the process. Tucker's name was not on there, but Danny's was.

"Ugh! Just my luck!" Danny yelled, punching the list. The tape holding it up ripped and the thin sheet fluttered to the floor. Tucker picked it up, reading each name one by one.

"Sorry dude," Tucker said, flipping the list over so that he could read it. "Sam, Jazz and I are not on here. Looks like your going alone to Arcadia Oaks High."

Ripping the sheet from Tucker's hands, Danny 8quickly read through the rest of the list, about three times, before he concluded that he knew nobody that was going with him, so at Arcadia Oaks High, he would be all alone.

Looks like he's going to Arcadia.

Like a flash of lightning, worry flooded his mind. Who will keep the ghosts at bay? Who is going to protect the town? Will people finally realize he and his ghostly alter-ego, Danny Phantom, are one and the same?

Danny pushed those thoughts out of his mind, not wanting to waste his thinking ability before school started. His mind seemed to wander back to the high school he was transferring to. Arcadia Oaks High? It sounds normal enough, but is it? Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went, even the bathroom.

Well, he just will have to wait and see.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm back, and I want to say thank you for all the follows and favorites! So, to celebrate, I am giving you an extra chapter. As always, please review, and enjoy chapter two of Trolls and Ghosts!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Trollhunters.**

* * *

"Hey Jimbo!"

Jim snapped out of his trance, as Toby, his best friend, walked over to him. Still in a slight stupor, Jim shook his head, and hastily shifted his weight from the locker he was resting on onto his own two feet, grinning nervously. Jim waved to Toby as he neared his spot.

"What's up Tobes?" Jim asked calmly, hoping he hadn't seen him in his dazed state. Toby grinned, flashing his metal braces.

"Nothing much, though I heard Uhl saying something about those absences of your's," Toby replied nonchalantly, as he rummaged through his small, navy backpack. "But hey, no worries! If you can survive the Dark Lands, surely you can survive Uhl."

Oh, so he hadn't noticed.

Toby's face lit up as he pulled a large burrito out of his bag. The tinfoil around it was scratched and moldy, while the actual burrito had an uncanny appearance to Not-Enrique, Claire's changeling little brother. It was that gross. Jim soon noticed that the smell was a hundred times worse. The smell it emitted was horrendous, causing Jim to gag at the smell.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but how long have you had that Diablo Maximus in your bag?!" Jim sputtered, breathing in what he thought were toxic fumes. Toby shook the moldy burrito in front of Jim's disgusted face.

"Relax, I'm not going to eat it! It's for emergencies only!" Toby replied hastily, laughing in the process. He joked, "Like getting you out of your trance!"

Oh, so he had noticed.

Jim laughed nervously and shifted his feet, before taking a deep breath.

"How long was I...in this state?"

"Much longer than you normally are, I can tell you that!" Toby joked, before stuffing the expired burrito back into his navy bag. Jim felt his face harden, and Toby noticed. Toby inhaled sharply.

"Look," Toby sighed. "I know you are worried about Gunmar, Jimbo. I just want you to know that you are not alone. It's _Trollhunters_ , not just _Trollhunter_. That's what you've always said. Right, Jimbo?"

Toby nudged his friend, waiting expectantly for an answer. Jim sighed.

"I don't know, Tobes. I just don't know."

An awkward silence carried out between the two teenagers, until Jim heard the bell for next period, which just so happens to be with Uhl. Grinning slightly, both friends began bolting for Uhl's classroom door.

* * *

Ah, lunch. Jim had always enjoyed this period of bliss, where he could join his two friends, Claire and Toby, before they were separated again for the last few classes of the day. Normally, they would discuss Trollhunter business, keeping tabs on what is happening in the Troll world as well as their own. Today, however, Claire had other news.

"You won't believe this!" Claire exclaimed, as she sat down on the seat across from Jim and Toby, who were seated together. "We are hosting a student exchange with Casper High!" She squealed, looking expectantly at both Jim and Toby, hoping for a reaction. She frowned slightly at the confused glances they gave her.

"Casper High? As in Casper the Friendly Ghost?" Toby asked, slightly skeptical.

"A student exchange? We haven't had one in years!" Jim exclaimed excitedly, cutting him off. Claire nodded rapidly.

"Yeah, but that's not the only thing! Remember when you had to tell me about the troll world because of some nasty goblins? After that incident I did some research, not just on trolls, but everything else that may be involved. Here," Claire pulled a small square of folded paper from a pocket in her jeans, unfolding it as Toby grumbled something about 'not answering his question'. She handed the crease piece of paper to Jim to read. Jim squinted his eyes as he read the printed report's title.

"'Casper High attacked by Ghosts'," Jim read, disbelieving. He glanced a Claire, confused, hoping for more information, before Toby ripped it out of his hands.

"What?"

Claire nodded, seeing their disbelief.

"That was my reaction too! But after digging a little deeper, I realized it was all true. Ghosts, Jim! Can you believe that?" Claire jumped up from her seat in excitement and squealed, rather loudly. A few students stared at her, and Claire blushed. Sitting back down, she continued her story in a hoarse whisper. Jim and Toby leaned in closer to her over the table, not wanting to miss any of the details. Jim especially; his mind was racing with possibilities.

"So, this school is located in a place called Amity Park, somewhere in Illinois. It is dubbed, 'The Ghost Capital of America', for its intent on using ghosts to lure tourists in their supposed, _tourist trap_. Ghosts are common there, apparently, as they attack every other day! Do you see now? These students who are transferring here, will possibly have some information on these ghosts, meaning we can use that to our advantage." Claire recited, as Toby's eyes widened. "And seeing that ghosts and trolls aren't that far off from each other, do you know what that means?"

"Dude," Toby breathed, nudging Jim. "You know what this means?" Toby and Claire both stared at Jim, who's brow was furrowed in deep concentration. Then, his face lit up almost instantly.

"They might have information that could help us defeat Gunmar!"

"Precisely!" Claire rebutted. Jim silently celebrated in his head, until one thought came up.

How?

How would they get this information from the students without arousing suspicion?

Jim replayed his thoughts to his two friends, who nodded, having overlooked that tiny detail. Before any of them could discuss anything, the bell rang loud and clear, startling Jim. He turned back to his two friends.

"We'll meet up after school with Blinky and Arrrgh. Then we can come up with a plan, and find out what they know about ghosts. Sound good?" Claire and Toby nodded before saying their 'goodbyes', and then each of them headed to their respective classes. Claire with Uhl, Jim with Ms. Janeth, and Toby with Coach Lawrence.

After the trio left the cafeteria, a young boy with black, square sunglasses emerged from his hiding spot behind the trash cans. He has been spying on Jim and his friends for a while now, after he and Steve Palchuk concluded that he was behind all the weird things in Arcadia.

The young boy's name was Eli Pepperjack, and he was part of a team called the Creepslayerz, where he and Steve had been monitoring all the things that go bump in the night.

Eli was still now leaning against the trash cans, still trying to comprehend what he had heard. Then, out of nowhere, a blond guy hoisted Eli by his collar onto the table next to him.

"So, what did you find out today, buttsnack?" The voice demanded, releasing Eli, sending him stumbling onto the floor. Eli turned his body into a crawling position, and then lifted his ginormous head to face a standing Steve Palchuk, his partner. Eli took a shuddering breath before replaying the one word he heard that stumped him.

Taking a deep breath, Eli shuddered.

"Ghosts,"

Steve smiled, holding his hand out for Eli to take. He took Steve's hand, who lifted him up from the grimy ground. Both Steve and Eli gave each other determined looks, before Steve spoke up, punching the air with his oversized fist.

"It's Creepslayin time!"

* * *

 **So now The Creepslayerz are in the mix! This will make it more interesting, right? You can never have too many lovable characters.**

 **Just if you were wondering, this takes place after the conclusion of season two for Danny Phantom, and after Jim comes out of the DarkLands in Part 2 of Trollhunters.**

 **Do you like it? I'm still building up, but I promise that in the next chapter, Danny will meet the Trollhunters. Things will get more interesting, I promise.**

 **I probably won't be updating until next weekend, because after today I'm totally booked. School and extracurricular activities have caught up with me now that break has ended.**

 **Once again, please review, and see you soon!**

- **TheZanyMaker**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello guys, I'm back with another update. This has to be the longest thing i have ever written; it's over 4,000 words!**

 **I am working on Chapter Four at the moment, and I will probably post that soon. But for now, please enjoy the fragile delicacy that is Chapter Three!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Trollhunters; these shows belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy the extra-long chapter, and as always, please review!**

* * *

Danny narrowed his eyes at a sign that laid before him on a vacant road.

The sign was elevated about one foot above Danny's eye level, and it had two long, white poles holding it up. Contrasting with the white, the bold blue lettering on the elevated sign read, "Welcome to Arcadia Oaks". Danny had to squint to be able to read the small lettering; super-sight wasn't in his big book of ghost powers.

There were teenagers of all races and genders surrounding him, also taking in the lettering of the quaint sign. Some students were even taking pictures with their phones, which wouldn't be something he would normally notice, because the bus driver had confiscated all of thiers. Granted, he didn't give his up, so this whole thought was pointless.

Leading his eyes away from the white sign, Danny saw that he, in fact, was elevated. This spot on the town's borders allowed him to glimpse over the little town with awe. The sun, being noon it was already so high, shone gentle rays of light over the many shops, schools, and suburbs the town held. Danny gripped his overpacked duffel tighter; excited at the prospect of entering a new town! He hadn't left Amity in what seems like forever; his ghost duties tended to keep him rooted in his home city.

Speaking of ghost duties, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker have agreed to managing the ghost problem in Amity Park while he was away. Sam wasn't too happy with that, though Danny knew she'd have to warm up to Jazz at some point.

They've created a story for the public, saying that "Danny Phantom" has to leave Amity under some serious circumstances. Jazz thought that if they had told the press about the actual circumstance, they might do more research on it. She says it would buy them some time.

Danny knew they had it all under control; he made them promise that they would call him if there was a problem they couldn't handle. Specifically, _Vlad,_ but he has been pretty quiet for an evil ghost who wants to kill his dad, marry his mom, and make him become his apprentice, or whatever.

"Okay, everybody, back on the bus!" A gruff voice yelled, disgruntled and annoyed. Danny instantly recognized him as the bus driver, because he wouldn't shut up in the bus, constantly yelling at everyone for making such a racket, but that only made it worse. He didn't even tried to hide that he didn't want to drive 50 high school students on a smelly bus 60 miles north.

All the students, including Danny, reluctantly shuffled back on the bus, Danny glimpsing behind his back at the town one last time before he climbed up the steps. However, he only got a swift glance at it before he was shoved into the sliding doors by some jock, stumbling and falling in the process. Growling, Danny picked himself back up, and jumped into the aisle before that same guy could do anything more.

Locating his seat, (it was at the very back, right next to the bathrooms) Danny plopped himself towards the window. Just as soon as he had sat down, the bus's doors closed, and the bus driver began the engine. Danny pressed his face towards the window, not all the way, because the bus was dirty and grimy and smelly like he had mentioned earlier. Gaining speed, the bus lurched and rumbled as the Casper High students (and driver) entered the town.

Danny silently wished for a normal week, with no ghost attacks, or anything for that matter, but Danny knows he does not have the best of luck.

Get ready, Arcadia, because here comes _Danny Fenton_!

* * *

Jim had to push past a million students clamoring at the front entrance of the school to get to Toby and Claire. He saw them talking calmly in the chaotic mess, and quickly hurried to them, accidentally bumping into a couple people. One being Steve Palchuk. Strangely, instead of calling Jim a 'buttsnack', or shoving him into another unfortunate soul, he just stared at him. _Stared._ Jim assumed it was because of what happened a couple months ago with the goo monster at the rock exhibit in the local museum.

Thankfully, Claire had spotted him stuck in the mass of students, and immediately pulled him to where she and Toby stood. On her face was a wide grin, crinkling her perfect face. Jim blushed momentarily.

"I'm so glad I found you! And right on time!" Claire announced, gesturing to the road in front of them. Jim directed his attention to it, noticing a long, white bus pull up in front of Señor Uhl. The sliding doors opened, and an overweight man stepped out. Yelling could be heard inside the bus, the students in there seemed excited, or frightened, Jim couldn't really tell. The amount of noise was deafening.

"Claire, can you finally tell us who we got? I want to know if it is a hot chick!" Toby whined to Claire. Claire scoffed, and pulled the bag from her back, and plopped it into Jim's skinny arms.

"Here, hold this. It's time I finally tell you who we got assigned!" Claire squealed, eyes and hands rummaging through her navy bag. Jim laughed nervously, like Toby, wondering who they got assigned to show around the school to. Claire had kept his, or her's, name a secret, so they would be surprised the day that the Casper High transfers arrived.

Claire, after an interminable amount of time, pulled out a thin sheet of paper, that was rolled up and held together by a rubber band. Swiftly, Claire ripped off the band, letting the paper roll out on its own, revealing neat letters colored in Arcadia oaks High's school colors.

As soon as she had removed the band, Toby snatched it from her hand and expectantly read the name. Jim noticed that his face fell considerably as his eyes skimmed the paper. Claire grabbed it back, and handed it to Jim, so he could read the name. Jim held the paper to his eye level, and squinted. Claire's handwriting was tiny, even i she was creating a sign.

"Danny… Fenton?" Jim read, realizing he has heard this name before. "I feel like I heard his last name before."

"Yeah! So did I!" Claire exclaimed, causing Jim to flinch. "After a little bit more digging on the web, I realized we got assigned to the _son_ of Amity Park's leading ghost experts, the Fentons!"

Toby's eyes widened in realization. "This is good… right? He can give us the information we need!" Toby began bouncing up and down. "We can beat Gunmar!"

"Woah, easy there Tobes. We don't know how we are going to get this information from him without it drawing suspicion to us," Jim explained, slowly. He then nodded to Claire. "But it's a start."

Uhl's voice rung out from where the bus stood, drawing all of Arcadia Oak High's students' direction toward the Austrian teacher. Uhl held a ginormous megaphone, projecting his voice far and wide. Next to him stood the oversight bus driver they had seen exit the bus earlier, looking very annoyed. Uhl seemed to ignore the obviously disheveled man, and continued to speak through the megaphone in his thick European accent.

"Calm down, and listen to me; yes, you will _listen_ because I am your current guardian Mr. Palchuk," Uhl commanded, glaring half-heartedly at said student. "The students from Casper High have arrived, and I expect good behavior coming from you. I want You to show these students how excellent our school's education and extracurricular systems are, so we may continue to partner with this school."

"Those students who have been assigned one or more student from said school, please make your way to where I am. We will be. Pairing all of you up before we do anything else."

Jim, Claire, and Toby all casually strolled to the front of the mass, along with some other kids from Arcadia Oaks High. Jim stole a glance to the bus's now closed doors, wondering who this 'son of ghosts experts' would be like. Would he be secretive? Smart? Neither of the two? Jim had no idea.

"For the rest of you, please follow Ms. Janeth into the auditorium, where we will be joining you shortly."

Jim watched as the rest of the students reluctantly entered inside the school's main building, drastically decreasing the amount of people now on the grass. Uhl fumbled with his megaphone a bit before he set it down next to him, and addressed the remaining students.

"Okay, lets begin," Uhl said, unfolding a sheet of paper. "You got your signs? Okay. We are ready."

The bus driver grunted at Uhl, and climbed back inside the bus. Soon after, a bundle of students emerged one by one from the bus, looking for their respective groups. Jim, still holding the sign Claire had handed to him, held it up in front of his chest, eyes wandering for the kid they were assigned with. One eventually walked up too them, and greeted himself.

"Hi, I'm Danny Fenton. Am I assigned to you?" He asked politely, making an effort to be polite despite his disheveled and tired appearance. Jim nodded, using his free hand to stick it out in a welcoming manner. Danny took it and gave a firm handshake.

"Yes, in fact you are! I'm Jim Lake Jr, and this is Claire Nuñez, and Toby Domzalski." The mentioned duo welcomed him and shook his hand. Jim notice that Danny seemed to relax as he shook hands with them. He did seem tense before.

"Okay, so now that we found each other, we are supposed to be heading into the auditorium," Claire announced, gesturing to the pack of students entering the school. She began walking, leading the three boys towards the school. "You see, our school was founded by the great Roberto Rodriguez in the 1800s, long after our town was named and founded by General Lester Arcadius Grant of the Union-"

Jim zoned out by this point, directing his attention to the boy they had been assigned to. His hair was matted with grease and dirt, and his clothes were wrinkled. Jim noticed his large bags under his eyes, colored black with hints of purple and red. His posture was stiff, and his back was tense. He took in his slight, hardly noticeable limp, muttering ever so softly:

"He's hiding something."

* * *

The rest of the school day went fine, in Jim's opinion. Danny was adjusting just fine, joining Jim, Claire, and Toby at their classes, finally separating at the afternoon to join Claire in her final periods, while Jim and Toby relaxed, and discussed their mini-plan a bit. When the school day ended, Danny had joined the rest of his Casper High classmates in settling in an apartment paid for by the school board. They separated just as he left for the bus, waving goodbye, and disappearing without a trace.

Jim was content on how successful the day went, and prepared himself as he joined Claire and Toby in walking over to Jim's house to meet with Blinky and Arrrgh, because Trollmarket wasn't the safest for them to be at the moment. The trio had done tons more research on Amity's ghosts and even managed to weasel a bit of information from Danny during the school period. Overall, they had some of the information they needed, but still lacked the expertise of Blinky and his arsenal of books.

As soon as Jim unlocked his door, he scanned the room from his mom, but more importantly, Strickler, but he found neither of them, even after scouring the rooms by hand. The three rushed down the stairs, bags and all, into Jim's basement, Toby switching the dim light on. Upon their arrival in the underground room, Jim was instantly greeted by an big, blue, four-armed friend.

"Master Jim!" Blinky exclaimed, coming into the light Toby had switched on. His face was contorted into a smile they hadn't seen in a long time. A rumbling emitted from behind Blinky, and Arrrgh stepped out into the light, muttering a slow, 'sorry', as he pulled a broom from his green hair. "I hope you are here to discuss these ghosts you talk about!"

Jim nodded, clutching his backpack.

"Yeah, we did a bit of research from the human point of view, but we could really use a troll's perspective on the ghosts. Do you have anything?"

Blinky smiled even wider, receiving strange looks from everyone present in the room.

"Why yes or course! This new assignment has succeeded in distracting me from Dictatious," Blinky muttered, his grin turning into a scowl they recognized and saw so often. Though as soon as it appeared on his face, it was quickly replaced by the grin he was bearing at the beginning. "Ghosts happen to be a very interesting topic, for not much is known about them. Master Jim, you I and Arrrgh know first hand about the Void, where the deceased ghosts of Trollhunters lived to teach and instruct the coming Trollhunters, though that is all I was able to gather from Trollmarket."

Jim's face fell as Toby sputtered, exasperated.

"That can't be all! You trolls should know more about these ghosts than we do!" Toby complained, receiving a 'wait a minute' look from Blinky.

"I have other sources as well, Tobias," Blinky explained, now slightly peevish. "I managed to salvage a book on these creatures from before we migrated here, though it is written in a language that is unreadable to both troll and human. I retrieved it among my belongings as I searched for more, _current_ information." Blinky said, revealing a dusty, leather-bound book in his lower two hands. He showed the cover to the four, not letting go, as though it might escape from his stony grasp.

Jim lurched over forwards to be able to read it; on the dusty brown cover, there was a single symbol on it, traced with glittering green lettering. It began with a thin line vertical, but then lurched sideways and progressed up in a zigzag fashion. It ended with a stroke of ink connecting the two lines at the bottom. He gambled over at Claire and Toby at his right, who both wore identical expressions of confusion. Jim cleared his throat.

"Blinky, do you know what it means?" Jim asked the troll. Blinky paused for a while before nodding his gigantic head slowly. He dusted off the book, causing the green symbol to glitter even more radiantly, despite the amount of light in the room.

"This is a book I acquired while conversing with an old friend." Blinky shared with the four, causing Arrrgh to snap up and stare intently at Blinky. Jim arched an eyebrow. "All he shared with me is the title, which is an ancient symbol of honor through death; _ghosts._ "

The multi-eyed troll patted the book's leather cover, as he took in everyone's reactions. Claire gasped a brief, 'of course!' And Toby gaped. Jim, however, was reactionless. He knew there was more to the story.

"And?" Jim inquired, eyes desperate. All Blinky did was shake his blue head. Arrrgh spoke up as Jim's face fell.

"Can't read," Arrrgh replied, solemn. "Not Troll."

Jim noticed that Claire's brow was furrowed, revealing her in deep thought. Toby continued gaping, which did not go unnoticed.

"You may stop gaping, Tobias. It is a book that has all the answers, but it is unreadable unless we find one with the knowledge and experience to decipher it." Blinky concluded, facing Toby. Realizing he was still gaping, Toby quickly shut his mouth.

"We might have the answer to that," Toby said, reluctantly. Claire perked up and continued his train of thought before Toby could decide on what to say next.

"That's right! We are hosting a school exchange with Casper High, a school located in a ghost-infested city! Better yet, we were assigned to help and show around this kid called Danny Fenton-"

"Who is the son of the two leading ghost experts there." Jim cut in. Claire shot him a swift glare. "He might know how to decipher it!"

Now Jim was excited; it seemed like the universe actually _liked_ them. Everything was working perfectly; things might actually work out for once!

Blinky cut into Jim's thoughts.

"That's perfect!" Blinky exclaimed, thrilled, but quickly regained his composure. "You three will be able to get the information from him, is that correct?"

Claire spoke up, saying, "That's where the problems truly begin; how will we get the information from him without it appearing weird or suspicious? We certainly don't want to throw another human into this situation." All four of them nodded in agreement. Jim wanted to keep as many people out of this, including his mom, but that didn't work as well as he had hoped. They would have to be careful with Danny; not letting anything slip. Jim replayed his thoughts to them.

"You're quite right, Master Jim. Since we all know that Fair Claire is more than capable in weaseling information but not giving away any, I believe she should attempt first," Blinky announced, nodding at Jim. He turned to Claire, who blushed slightly at the brief flatter. "Is that right?"

Claire simply nodded her response, and Toby grumbled, unhappily. Blinky continued.

"Sorry Tobias, its true. But perhaps you may be able to-"

"Arrrgh?"

All three heads whirled towards Jim after he had acknowledged Arrrgh's presence. Jim gulped nervously, but continued nevertheless.

"Something's wrong," Jim said, quietly, all the while staring at Arrrgh. Blinky, Claire, and Toby all glanced over at Arrrgh.

Arrrgh's back was tense, and his posture stiffened. His hair stood on end, and his arms shook with a fierce awareness. His nose was pointed towards the small window about three meters away from where they were talking, and his face contorted into one of curiousness and anxiousness. The remaining four's heads whirled once again at Jim, who was staring intently at the window.

"Uh, Jimbo?" Toby asked Jim, frightened. "What's going on?"

Before Jim could even think about a response, the window shattered open, and two familiar bodies went crashing down. Tinted plastic covered them from head to toe. The four in the room backed away, but Jim strolled, a bit apprehensively, to the squirming bodies gasping for air on the floor.

"I think we got something from that Creeper!" A nasal voice cried out from the smaller of the two bodies. Jim recognized it immediately.

Eli?!

"We got some green goo! And some major cramps," A burly, half-matured voice replied.

Steve?!

Jim motioned for his friends to join him where he stood. Jim took a deep breath.

"Steve? Eli? What are you doing here?!" Jim yelled, still shell-shocked at the fact that two of his classmates from school crashed into his home, _while he was in it._ Both Steve and Eli rose slowly from the debris and dusted themselves off, covered in dirt marks and the occasional blob of glowing green goo. Eli squeaked.

"Jim! We came here as fast as we could!" Eli stuttered, trying to find the right words. Jim noticed from behind him that Claire and Toby were the only ones who remained; Arrrgh and Blinky had fled as soon as Jim had acknowledged them to be humans. He had wanted them to stay; after all, Steve and Eli already knew. God thing it was nighttime, or the sewers would be full with construction workers.

Steve whimpered, but Eli slapped him in the face as hard as he could.

"Get it together, Steve! That Creeper stands no chance now that we found Jim! He'll help us!" Eli turned to Jim, desperation clearly written on his face. "Right, Jim?"

Toby popped up from behind Jim, scaring him so bad he shifted into a defensive position. Jim slowly retreated back to a standing form as he realized it was just Toby. Claire then appeared next to Toby, whose face was expressionless. Toby spoke up.

"Wait, what creeper?" Toby asked, skeptical. In response to his inquiry, Eli snapped off a small blob of goo on his right shoulder, and jiggled it in his hands. The goo glowed brighter than it should have in this dimly lit room, closely resembling the green entering of the book Blinky had showed to them earlier. Jim took a mental note of this, as Eli shuddered at the feel.

"Whatever it is, it dropped this. It can out of its body through a cut we managed to give it, like blood." Eli explained, whimpering. He pulled out a plastic bag out of seemingly nowhere, and placed the goo inside of it. "But it's definitely not blood."

Steve continued with a detailed description of the supposed, 'creeper'. He said it looked humanoid, so Jim ruled out 'troll', from his mental list of possibilities. Eli added on to Steve's description saying it glowed brighter than the sun. (Which was probably an exaggeration) They weren't able to catch anymore significant characteristics, except it had white hair and green eyes. It didn't sound like anything Jim had seen before.

Glancing momentarily at his watch, Jim concluded it would be best to continue with this in the morning, given they had school tomorrow.

Jim repeated his boughs the to the four humans in the room, who nodded, and ventured up the stairs. Eli and Steve, however, were more reluctant in going; they had just made it to Jim, they didn't want to lose him again.

After a bit of swapping numbers and talking about meeting dates and times, the self-dubbed, _Creepslayerz,_ ventured out Jim's front door. Not long after, Jim's mother pulled up into the driveway, having just gone off from work at 8:30. She wished him a good night, and Jim fell instantly asleep in his bed, all the thoughts that aroused from Steve and Eli's 'breaking-and-entering' leaving him.

* * *

How could he have been so stupid?

Flying around a town _he knows nothing about_ right after sunset in his ghost form? Yeah, pretty stupid.

Danny had been spotted by some teenagers in black by the local park, where he had to _fly for his life_ to avoid being identified. He failed; they sure got a good look at him.

After about a minute of staring at each other, _when he should have been bolting all the way back to Amity Park,_ they attacked. Danny's talking pebbles, slingshots, even friggin _ninja stars_ were thrown at him without end.

Those stupid ninja stars sliced through his skin, spilling ectoplasm on them.

It wasn't a lot, but it was _enough._

They had his ectoplasm! A ghost's power source! He had really messed up big time.

Now he was flying for his _afterlife_ in a town full of people. Danny had to maintain his ghost form a secret in Arcadia, (in case there were more wacky hunters) just so he could have a break from ghost fighting.

That didn't work out at _all._

Danny emerged in a remote pace of the town, underneath a bridge that connected Arcadia's suburbs with the city. He was sure he heard someone mention it at school that same day; 'canals', was it?

Yeah, it was. Now Danny is is the canals.

Despite the late hour, buses and cars continued to drive across the bridge, so Danny had to press himself against one of the slanted walls of the canals underneath all the traffic. Danny glanced left and right, before allowing the familiar rings wash over him, transforming him back to Danny Fenton.

"Who's there?"

Danny stopped cold in his tracks, pressing his face flatter against the wall, hoping whoever had seen him didn't come closer.

No such luck.

In the distance, Danny could faintly see a silhouette of a man, with a flashlight. The figure neared to Danny's hiding spot, flashing his light, before resting it on Danny. The man was too far away to realize that he had found the culprit, so Danny remained very still. The man inched closer, and closer, and closer….

Danny was no longer staring at the underside of a bridge, he was staring at a stone wall.

Danny blinked confused, feeling the wall, concluding that it was solid. Danny mentally thanked his instincts; he went intangible and phased through the wall, now nowhere in sight of the man. Danny quickly turned around, facing the room where he had phased into, a let out a gasp of awe. Before him, there was a crystal spinal staircase, spiraling downwards into a tavern. The crystals appeared to be releasing their own light, shining rays of all colors and gradients.

Danny, curious, ventured down the staircase, stepping daintily on every crystallized step, until he reached the end. The large crystals changed into small stone steps, leading Danny to an opening, which shone a bright orange light in the dark staircase. Now excited, Danny jumped down the stone steps one by one quickly, and entered the tavern, wondering wildly about what he had discovered.

* * *

 **So… do you like it? Hate it? Write down your thoughts in the review box.**

 **I am really happy with how this turned out! Next chapters probably won't be this long, because I want to keep a consistent update schedule, but you never know! Fanfiction is a wild thing.**

 **Happy reading, and see you soon!**

 **-TheZanyMaker**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am _so sorry_ for making you all wait! School had just recently caught up with me, and _man_ am I flustered. All this standerized testing isn't good for me.**

 **Anyway, I finally got Chapter 4 up after about a _month_ of procrastinating. This chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I split it because there simply was no time.**

 **Enough talking! Let's get on with the much anticipated Chapter _4!_**

* * *

"Why is it doing that? Is it supposed to do that? Eli!"

"I need more time!"

Steve glanced frightfully at his bespectacled classsamate, who was currently skimming through the Internet with a search of, 'glowing green goo'. Earlier Eli had tried, 'supernatural green goo', and 'what creature has green goo for blood', and so on. Steve twiddled his thumbs impatiently; it had been some time since they started researching the strange substance they were coated in the other day. The green goo had not done anything out of the ordinary while they were researching… until now. This is what had Steve so nervous.

"I want to find out more about this goo as much as you, but _this_ is SERIOUSLY FREAKING ME OUT!"

Eli slammed his hands on his keyboard, disrupting the tab in which he searched on. He spun around in his black swivel chair so he could face Steve, who was whimpering in the corner. Eli adjusted his glasses.

"Get a grip on yourself, Steve! We are the Creepslayerz! We hunt down creepers! That is why we have these meetings, Steve. To research and take down those creeps!" Eli exclaimed in his nasal voice, stumbling as he walked over to Steve. Eli slapped Steve hard on the face, who rubbed his cheek.

"I know! But is the goo supposed to be doing _that?_ " Steve yelled back, annoyed. This received a complaint from Eli's mother. Eli quickly apologized as Steve dusted himself off from nonexistent dust. After all this, Steve directed his gaze to the vial that had him spooked.

There, on the bed, was not a vial of green goo, but instead, a vial of thick, red blood.

"What?" Eli shrieked. He stumbled over to his bed as quick as he could, and scooped up the vial. Reluctantly, Steve trailed behind.

Turning over the vial in his hand, Eli examined the contents. He sputtered, stumped, because Steve was right. It _wasn't_ supposed to do that.

"How?" Eli cried out, startling Steve behind him. Steve quickly regained his composure.

"I… I don't know! Eli, please tell me you know!"

Eli glanced at Steve with wide eyes.

"It's blood, Steve. Blood! Only _humans_ have blood. And that Creeper was clearly _not human_!" Eli took rapid, shaky breaths. Dazed, Eli slumped on his bed, shoving the vial into Steve's burly hands. Steve clasped the vial to his chest, staring at Eli with concern.

Well. There goes their lead. The only evidence they got from this mysterious creeper is now gone. Maybe because it was in the presence of humans for so long, it converted, or something. It's not like this creeper can be both human and creature.

Steve's eyes instantly lit up, when a new thought dawned on him:

Maybe, just maybe, this creeper was _both._

Staring at his downcast friend, Steve smiled slightly, showing off his big front teeth. He sat down next to Eli, and handed him back the vial, which almost slid out of his hand when Steve put it in it. Eli glanced at him.

"You know, this might not be over _just_ yet," Steve said, "Look over to the wall over there. What do you see?"

With a sullen expression, Eli looked over at the further most wall from his bed, which was covered from head to toe in comic book posters. Steve pointed to one that was hung in the middle of this mess: a long poster of a giant lizard-man hybrid, and behind it, a 35 year old man with tattered overalls and dopey expression.

"The Murkling? What does this have to do with this?" Eli asked, exasperated. Steve merely scoffed.

"You know how the Murkling was just a human, but when he was injected with dinosaur germs and became this monster?" Steve replied.

"Yeah, I guess so," Eli said, squinting his large eyes to see the poster clearly. "But what does a comic book character have to do with this?" Steve huffed.

"I'm getting to that, Pepperjack! Jeez," Steve muttered under his breath. He had grabbed Eli's shoulders out of instinct, but as soon as he saw the confusion in his face, he sighed and let go. Eli massaged his shoulders, with a faint resemblance of a glare on his face. "Okay, remember how in issue #25, we discover the Murkling has a different type of blood than in his human form?"

"Yeah," Eli whispered, his eyes losing its defeated look. He glanced at Steve, then back at the poster. He jumped off of his bed and pulled Steve's arm with him, who stumbled with the sudden movement. Eli dragged him over to the poster, gaining confidence with each step. Clutching the vial and staring at the poster, Eli nodded in understanding.

This creeper _could_ be like him! He could be human and monster! Steve, your a genius!" Eli exclaimed.

"I know, I know," Steve replied, smugly. However, Eli didn't notice.

"But if its human, then we could find it in human form. Didn't you say that it looked around our age. I thought you were crazy, but that might just be it!"

Wow, Eli was on a roll.

"It can't be anyone from our school, because we would've found it sooner," Eli pondered, "So it has to be—"

"The exchange students!" Eli and Steve yelled, Eli bouncing up and down and yelling with excitement. Steve was about to celebrate as well, but a troubling thought crossed his mind.

"But how will we know who it is, and if it is evil or not? We don't want to make the same mistake again!" Steve squealed. Eli glanced at him and replied, very sure of himself now that they had cracked the case about the goo.

"It has to be a boy, right? That makes sense considering the creeper we saw looked like one. And to find who it actually is, we just have to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior and whatnot,"

"But—"

"It'll be fine, Steve! There's nothing to worry about. We're professionals!"

Eli looked at Steve with pleading eyes, though Steve could not yet place why he was so skeptical about this mission. Maybe it was because it had been a while since they did something like this? Truly, he didn't know. Steve dismissed this feeling and gave a crooked smile to Eli.

"Eli," Steve replied, Eli sucking in a breath. With a hard, yet determined expression, he punched his fist in the air and shouted, "We have a creeper to catch!"

Pushing his spectacles higher on his face, Eli joined in Steve's enthusiasm. In his nasal voice, he rung out:

"Watch out creeper, 'cause the Creepslayerz are out to get ya!"

* * *

Wow.

 _Wow._

All the thoughts that filled Danny's head were ones of awe, as he was now floating invisibly through an underground civilization, unbeknownst to the residents of Arcadia. As he flew, he noticed stony creatures walking around, chatting and conversing with other creatures, or yelling at little garden gnomes with pointy teeth. He flew past shops of all kinds, which sold crystals, food, and the occasional horseshoe. (Though Danny couldn't find a reason why these living stones would sell or buy them)

The roads were illuminated with bioluminescent mosses of all different colors and species. All these roads led to the center of this town, which consisted of one, ginormous, orange crystal. As Danny inched closer, he could feel the life and warmth emitting from it.

Reaching the crystal, Danny plopped himself on the ground, and touched the crystal with one finger. It radiated power, Danny realized. But befell he could inch any closer, a voice rung out on the other side. ( _other side?_ ) of this massive rock.

"I want the Trollhunter. Here. _Now!_ We have put this off long enough! That _human_ let Gunmar out, yet instead of taking action, we are laying around like an old sack potatoes!"

Trollhunter? Gunmar? What the heck?

"Ursurna—"

"That _human_ has committed treason against Trollmarket! He should be arrested immediately!"

"You're yelling, Ursurna. Be reasonable. He is merely a _child._ "

"A child that endangered all of troll kind!"

 _Human?_ Danny shook his head. He must be imagining this. Curious, but wary, Danny continued to eavesdrop this strange conversation.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Danny whipped around his head as fast as he could, instinctively shifting into a defensive position. His hands blocked his face, while his feet were bent, ready to spring away as soon as trouble came his way. When he looked upward, he noticed a blue, rock-like creature with four arms and six eyes, glaring at him with a raging fury.

"I repeat, _who are you?_ "

 _Run. Run!_

"Uh…" Danny replied unintelligently. Every bone in his body was screaming at him to fly away, to phase through the walls, and return to the feta that was the surface. However, as stupid as this may sound, Danny was rooted to the stone ground.

"How did you get in here? Answer me!" The creature snarled, walking ever so slowly towards Danny.

"Umm, uh… I…"

"Yes?" The monster inquired, urging him to continue. The scowl never left his face.

"...gotta go!"

Danny bolted as fast as he could past the monster, startling him so bad he fell to the ground with a hard bump. As Danny rushed away from the crystal, the monster yelled at him to return. Danny, knowing this is a command he can ignore, ran out of the monster's eyesight, and phased through the gray wall.

After about a couple minute of flying upward, (Danny was frightened very badly, so it took awhile for him to regain his composure) he emerged on the surface of the canals. He had been so immersed in his new discovery, he hadn't noticed how truly tired he was. Stifling a yawn, Danny rubbed his eyes. Blinking away the sunlight, Danny noted that it was morning, which meant that school started soon.

Oh crap. _School._

As quickly as he could, Danny used his ghost ray to mark the wall in which he merged, hoping that he could return to explore more of what he believed to be called, Trollmarket. He concluded that the inhabitants were, in fact, _trolls,_ meaning he could be easily hurt by them. That blue troll showed him that.

Happy with his mark, Danny sprinted off the canals.

Still adjusting to the harsh morning sunlight, (it was directed right to his face) he didn't see the bicycle right in front of him in time.

* * *

"Look who I found on the canals this morning!" Jim said, dragging a limp body into the front doors of the school. He had yelled to Claire and Toby, who rushed as fast as they could towards him. Toby, panting slightly, was the first to ask about the body.

"Who is that? Jim, you do realize you are carrying a dead body around school!" Toby whispered urgently, poking the lump Jim carried.

"He's not dead, Tobes! But he was in a nasty accident. Come on, help me carry him," Jim replied, pointing towards the direction that led to the nurse's office. "He needs serious help!"

"Danny?" Claire shrieked, making Jim and Toby wince. She stared at the body. "Oh no…. what in the world happened to him?"

"Looks like she found herself another _loooove_ —"

"Shut up!"

Toby winced, clutching his leg. He had received a hard blow from Jim, and it was _painful._ Toby whined softly.

"We haven't got the time for this!" Jim replied, annoyed at Toby's remark.

Claire cleared her throat loudly, drawing the boys attention back to her.

"So… what's the plan now? When he wakes up he's going to want to know what we were doing in the canals in the first place." Claire said, waving off her earlier outburst with her nonchalant tone. ""Obviously we can't tell him anything about trolls or Trollmarket—"

Jim's eyes widened in realization.

Oh man.

"What if Danny found Trollmarket?! That would explain why he was missing last night and why he was at the canals this morning! It all makes sense!"

"He went missing—?"

Jim grabbed Toby by the shoulders and pulled Claire's arm in one swift motion, accidentally dropping Danny's limp body to the school floor. Claire and Toby cringed as it made a soft thump on the tile. Jim ignored it.

"Don't you see? Danny obviously—"

"Obviously what?"

Jim, Claire, and Toby froze in their spots. Not wanting to look down, he prayed that the voice didn't belong to who he think it belonged to.

"Hello? You care to explain how I ended up unconscious, in school, and underneath your bickering butts?"

"Well… um…" Toby began, laughing nervously and stealing glances at a wide-eyed Jim. Jim urged him on. "You see…" a sweat. "...Jim...accidentally crashed into you…. at the canals…" Danny raised one of his eyebrows. "...and we had to drag your….body….here?"

Danny stared at their emotionless faces from the floor for a full minute. Jim could feel his gaze on him.

"Makes sense." Danny replied, blissfully ignorant to the shocked faces The three gave him. Toby gaped at Danny, who stared back, annoyed. "Can you help me get off the floor, please?"

Toby was the first to breath.

"What a relief!" Toby sighed, grabbing Danny's extended hand. He hoisted Danny up, who regained his balance and brushed himself off. "I thought we really killed you, man!"

Danny laughed casually, "You can't kill someone who is already dead."

Claire and Jim, still dumbstruck, just gazed emotionless at Danny's receding silhouette as he walked away into the crowd of students.

* * *

Jim picked at his food a bit more while waiting for Claire and Toby to get theirs at lunch that same day. They had told Jim to sit down, since he had his food, and wait for them, which was what he was doing. While waiting alone at a table for them, Jim felt his thoughts drift from school to Danny.

Everything felt off about Danny.

His personality, his disappearances, even his existence were all a mystery to Jim.

He waved off their "slip up" as nonchalantly as a normal kid would do when his friend used up all the toilet paper in his house.

He told them he was literally _dead_ and then just walked away.

It was all the symptoms of an angsty teen, but he certainly doesn't look like one. Minus a few eye bags.

He's hiding something, but what?

"Hey buttsnack!"

Ugh. _Steve._

Jim glanced up briefly, where he saw a confident Steve towering over the table. Eli was nowhere to be found, which was weird. Steve interrupted his thoughts.

"We need to talk."

Steve now sat down across from Jim at the lunch table. Steve scanned the room cautiously, checking for eavesdroppers. He motioned for Jim to lean forward. Curious, Jim obliged. Steve did the same, and lifted his mouth to Jim's ear.

"You, me, canals. 6 pm sharp. Bring them too,"

"Them" must've meant his friends, so no doubt Eli would be there too. Though, what does Steve want from them?

With one more glance at Jim, he vanished almost as quickly as he had come.

"What's up with him?"

Jim swiveled his head to where the voice came from, and standing there was Toby, carrying his lunch tray. Claire wasn't with him for some reason. Jim shook his head.

"It's not typical Steve behavior, but hey, I'm not complaining!" Jim replied sheepishly. Toby grinned, flashing his braces, and sat down next to him.

"Where's Claire?" Jim asked, glancing at the lunch line.

Toby shrugged. "Beats me. She's probably going full detective-mode with Danny now that he is awake." He took a bite out of his sandwich. "She will be a while."

Jim nodded, and continued picking at his food.

"You know, Steve told me to go to the canals tonight. He sounded serious." Jim explained, eyes still fixed on his meatloaf. "Could it be something about Gunmar?"

"Highly doubt it! They would be dead if they did happen to meet him." Toby said, licking his fingers in the process. Jim stared at him in shock. Toby stuttered.

"It sounds bad but it's true!"

Sighing, Jim replied, "I guess you're right. If it doesn't have anything to do with Gunmar, what could it be?"

"I have absolutely no ide- look there's Claire!"

Claire was, in fact, walking towards them, but the expression on her face was anything but pleasant. She appeared frazzled, eyes distant in thought. Jim noticed her disgruntled expression, and decided it was best not to say anything. He couldn't say the same about Toby, though.

"What happened? You look terrible!"

Jim kicked Toby with his legs underneath tent table, receiving a pained yelp from him.

In a harsh whisper, Jim said, "Do you want to _live,_ or do you want 'He never learned to keep his mouth shut and now he's dead because of that' on your tombstone?"

Toby gulped.

"I'm not in one of _those_ moods." Claire said, rolling her eyes. Hse sat down across from where Toby and Jim sat, successfully claiming their undivided attention.

"I just finished interrogating Danny, and there were some… _interesting_ things I managed to weasel out of him." Claire said in a hushed tone. Jim had to lean in closer to be able to understand her. He noticed that Toby did the same.

"You know the sample Eli and Steve told us about? I know what it is,"

Oh my _gosh._

The sample Steve and Eli had… could the meeting later be about that?

"What, what!" Toby exclaimed, losing control of his voice with the suspense. Both Jim and Claire began shushing him, getting a few weird looks from their classmates. Toby smiled sheepishly.

With a much more hushed voice, Toby repeated, "What is it?"

Claire took a deep breath. "Ectoplasm," she said.

Jim couldn't help but stare.

"Wait, what?"

Claire didn't seem to hear him, because she was now rummaging through her book bag with an excited look on her face. She pulled out a small laptop, customized with stickers, and set it on the table. Opening it up, Claire swiftly typed on the keyboard with a her brow furrowed to a point where Jim couldn't even see her eyes. All brow, he thought stupidly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Claire looked up from her screen.

"Here, it's all in here."

She spun the laptop to where it was facing Jim and Toby. (Who, miraculously, hadn't talked the whole time) Jim squinted at the screen because, for some reason, Claire had put it unusually bright.

Claire noticed the squints, so she continued with her discovery.

"I found this blog online that was all about paranormal activity in Amity Park, where the exchange students are from." She narrowed her eyes. "More specifically, Danny."

Jim could faintly see where she was going with this. Though, he was more confused than enlightened, and his expression showed that. Claire continued.

"It has some scientific tests included as well as personal experiences. By the sound of it, I'm guessing the author is in high school." She said, gaining more confidence of the matter by the second. "The information is completely accurate and broken down to the nub of the matter."

"Which is…" Toby began, completely confused by the blog posts. Claire paused.

"So?"

She took a deep breath and said:

"Ghosts."

Jim noticed that she expected a shocked reaction from both him and Toby, (after all, she _did_ pause for effect) but none came. Toby was more confused than ever. The blank stare he gave them just proved that. However, Jim sparked, his eyes widening in realization.

The book that Blinky showed them before was about ghosts. (Or so he believed) Jim seemed to know that the substance that Eli had glued to his shoulders connected with the book. Which means that whatever _they_ had fought had been a ghost. It was so incredibly simple, Jim facepalmed himself for not noticing it earlier.

Claire sensed an understanding, so she waved at him half heartedly to explain the rest. Jim replayed his thoughts to Toby.

"I get it now!" Toby exclaimed. He frowned slightly. "I think."

Claire sighed in defeat. "Anyway, remember Steve and Eli's description of the ghost they had fought?"

Jim and Toby nodded.

"Well," She said, while pointing at the screen of the laptop. "It seems _awfully_ similar to one in this blog…"

Claire turned her laptop again to where it was facing her, and typed a few keys. She spun it around after a few minutes.

Jim gasped, bringing his hands to his face, and almost knocked over his lunch.

On the screen, a white-haired Danny smiled back at him.

* * *

Jim rubbed his temples, contemplating the whole ordeal. That ghost could not have been Danny! He was hallucinating… yeah, that's right. It was just a mere hallucination.

"Master Jim, are you alright?"

Jim looked up to see a concerned Blinky staring right at him. Claire, and Toby had quit talking and were now looking at him. (Arrrgh was missing once again to spy in Trollmarket) He laughed nervously.

"I'm fine," Jim said, not believing himself. Claire shot him a 'don't lie to me' look, and Jim recoiled slightly. Faintly perspiring, he added, "Let's get back to work."

Before Jim had drifted off into his own mind, he, Claire, and Toby had been conversing with Blinky and Arrrgh about ghosts. They had already gone through all the basic tales about them, including tales from mythology and Harry Potter. They had even gone through the whole blog, (which sparked interest in Blinky) and even attempted to decipher the book on ghosts Binky had mentioned. So far, they had no such luck.

By the time they had settled down into their research again, Jim's watch chimed.

Jim groaned. "It's time."

Blinky nodded, (as he had been told about the meeting hours prior) and handed him the book with the green lettering. Jim grabbed it without a thought.

"Be mindful, Master Jim. This book is extremely delicate and valuable. If I see as much as a _scratch_ on it—"

"Don't worry, Blink!" Jim cut in just as Toby's and Claire's feet had disappeared from the steps. "We'll be careful."

Jim climbed the steps and met with his friends outside, who were waiting for him. He noticed the sun set around them, soothing Jim's uneasiness slightly. All Together, they began walking to the canals.

Jim couldn't help but think:

What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

 **So, can you guess who the blog belonged to? I promise, that whole ordeal wasn't a plot device to keep the story going, it actually is meaningful later on! If you caught the forshadowing, (which i believe most of you did) then congrats! You now know what's planned for the succeeding chapters.**

 **I've recently have gotten several PMs about the continuity in my fic. If you happen to have questions about the plot, but are afraid to hurt me feelings, ask anyway! With this being my first fic and all, I know things may appear awkward, so your questions and constructive crtisim will only help me in my writing.**

 **And that's all I have to say! As always, review and hang on tight for the next chapter!**

 **-TheZanyMaker**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, would you look at the time? It's been months since I last updated. Oops! I completely forgot about this fic until about a few days ago, and I rushed to finish something I had started. If it seems sloppy at the end, that might be because I'm typing so fast that my fingers hurt.**

 **I've discovered the concept of "planning ahead", so my notes are all organized by chapter. At least now I'll get some more updates in.**

 **That's enough blabbering for one day. On with the story!**

* * *

What an idiot.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

This is not Amity Park; people aren't oblivious.

 _Ugh._

Danny couldn't believe how dumb he'd been acting upon his arrival in Arcadia Oaks. On the first week _alone_ he already was discovered. Some dudes in black even got a bit of his ectoplasm.

Jim is suspicious, which is _great_.

Danny laid in his bed in his apartment room, contemplating his actions.

His stupid actions.

Reluctantly, he picked up his laptop, (a gadget that was marked, 'Fenton', due to the reason his parents built it) and Skyped both of his friends, Sam and Tucker. Immediately, Sam answered.

"Oh thank _goodness_ you called us. You promised you would three days ago!" Sam said through the screen, rather harshly.

Tucker then joined the chat, projecting his own face on the screen.

"What's up, dude?" Tuck said nonchalantly, "You okay there?"

"I'm fine, only I have to tell you guys something,"

Sam sighed.

"What is it now? Did you already slip up and create a problem for yourself again?"

"Uhhh…"

"Don't tell me you did,"

Danny rubbed the back off his neck. Tuck stared intently.

"Yeah?"

"Oh for the love of—"

"But that is not what I called you guys for!" Danny yelled, causing Sam to shut up. He calms himself down, and continued in a soft tone. "I found this weird place underneath the canals."

"What?" Tucker said, his face displaying confusion. Danny continued.

"It's filled with these _creatures_ that look like multi-colored rocks."

Tucker exclaimed, "Multi-colored…. rocks—?"

"Yes, multi-colored rocks!"

Danny turned to Sam's projection.

"Do you know anything about them? In your goth books?" He asked her, expecting an answer. Sam only sighed.

"Danny, they aren't 'goth books' their dark fantasy novellas—"

"Do you?"

Sam groaned. "Yes. Just let me find the one."

Danny and Tucker waited in silence as Sam left her computer in search for a book that might hold the answer to what those creatures could be. After a while, Sam returned carrying a dusty, magenta book. Danny recognized it immediately.

"Is that the book we stole, uhhh, _borrowed_ from Vlad?" Danny asked, feeling sheepish.

"The one and only," Sam replied through the projection. "There has to be something in here about those rock-like creatures."

Both Danny and Tucker stared in silence as sam flipped through the crusty yellow pages of the aged book. Her brow was furrowed in concentration. At last, when it felt as though Danny couldn't wait much longer, Sam muttered, 'Aha!' To herself and stopped at a [age near the end of the book.

"Behold," Sam said as she turned around the book for Danny and Tucker to see, (which difficulty since the book was a rather large one) "Trolls!"

Danny's eyebrows shot to the roof.

"Trolls? I guess that explains 'Trollhunter'..."

Sam's looks said it all.

"Danny! Did you just say _Trollhunter_?"

"Umm…. yes?"

Sam allowed a gasp to exit her mouth as she got up from her chair and scurried around her room frantically for something. Danny wasn't sure what. Since the internet was slow, her image appeared everywhere on the screen, lagging due to her frantic behavior.

"What's your problem?" Tucker said to Sam, annoyed. Danny wondered that too. She was going crazy.

After an eternity of watching Sam have a spasm, she returned, with another book. This time, it was bound with leather like deep umber, inscribed with the words, "Blues and Blacks". Her magenta book laid in front of her, forgotten for the moment.

Danny raised an eyebrow.

"I got this at the Skulk and Lurk after about a month of putting it on hold," She explained, displaying the cover to the screen. "It's a journal kept by a Russian dude who goes by the name of 'Fedin Lovinsky'. It's a translated copy, but it almost completely like the original. It's been at the Skulk and Lurk for more than 100 years."

Tucker frowned at the book.

"Is there a digital copy?"

"Ignoring that!" Sam replied, taking a seat in her chair. She gently opened the book, and flipped through the pages.

"And?" Danny asked impatiently. He inched closer to the screen at Sam's image, probably appearing like a blown up balloon, but Danny didn't care.

Sam's brows once again furrowed in concentration, as she repeated the earlier process of skimming pages. She didn't seem to be having any luck, as she flipped through the journal twice before setting it down in defeat.

"The reason I got this book was because I remembered a page that said something about a 'Trollhunter'. A human one. But it's not in there."

"Maybe you have the wrong book," Tucker said. Sam shot him a glare through her camera. Ticker withered underneath her rage. "But you don't, do you?"

Danny laughed internally.

"No! It's the right book,, I'm sure of it!"

Danny cut in.

"It's okay Sam. We'll find it eventually," Danny yawned. "Besides, it's time for us to go to bed anyway."

Sam sighed. "Thanks Danny. Goodnight."

Sam disconnected. Tucker followed.

"Bye dude."

Danny glanced outside using his window, as the sun began to set in the horizon. He squinted at the sunlight, and turned away from it. It was eerily quiet, no cars honking or people out.

Danny smiled. It was perfect. He could go back to the canals to explore a bit more. Spy on the so-called, "Trolls" and the underground city. The thought both excited and terrified him. His heart raced.

He was going back.

 _Oh man._

* * *

 **Did you like Sam and Tucker's cameos? Sadly, they are not main characters, but that doesn't mean I can't include my favorite goth and geek! Be on the lookout for more cameos.**

 **So, as you can see, I am really stressing the usage of books in this fic. Now we have a russian book called** _ **Blues and Blacks**_ **that made its debut in this chapter. I'm excited for this one too, as it includes a whole other story to it. It's making its way to Arcadia soon, but not how you think it is.**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, I'm just caught up with finals and school ending. But by the need of this week I'll be free to writing this fic! Just one more week, and I'll finally be updating regularly again.**

 **As always, please review, and see you next time!**

 **-TheZanyMaker**


	6. Chapter 6

**This time, I don't even have an excuse. I was just downright lazy. For future reference, expect these updates to be late.**

 **Well, at least I got this chapter done! This will be my last post for the decade, can you believe that? I had to post** _ **something.**_

 **So, without further ado, I present, chapter 6!**

* * *

"What the heck?"

For once Jim actually agreed with Toby.

 _What the heck?_

Upon arriving at the canals, Steve and Eli appeared quite suddenly. After he, Claire, and Toby recovers from the sneak attack, the duo led them underneath the bridge, which provided a safe place to talk without being overheard or seen. That particular night, the moon reached the pinnacle of its cycle: the full moon.

Jim couldn't help but feel a looming sense of premonition as he neared the bridge, since he didn't have such fond memories of the place.

In the darkness of the bridge, Eli and Steve relayed what they discovered.

This is where Jim began to get confused.

Their discovery included this: them finding that the goo had turned to blood, and why. Eli was especially keen to explain that the creature could be both human and creeper. Like the Murkling, a comic book character that was created using the same phenomena.

Steve and Eli stopped to let the information sink in.

It did.

Jim couldn't help but think that their new evidence just blew whatever he and Claire (and Toby) found out of the water. It seemed impossible that a person could be both dead and alive, as their evidence found that the creature was, in fact, a _ghost,_ and not a living thing.

 _Ugh._

Jim remained trapped in his thoughts as he replayed every single bit in detail over and over again, scanning every word he conjured up for hidden meanings.

He found none. So, he remained silent, not knowing what to say or do. He glanced briefly at Claire, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

Toby spoke first, saying what Claire and Jim had thought as the evidence came together.

"What the heck?"

Eli sighed. "It's simple! Even Steve understood, and he doesn't understand anything!"

Steve pouted next to him. "Hey!" He punched Eli gently on the shoulder. Eli clutched his shoulder and gave Steve a dirty look.

This seemed to have knocked Jim out of his stupor.

"It just doesn't make sense." Jim finally said. Steve scoffed as Jim turned to Claire. "Show them Claire!"

"What?"

"The blog!"

This snapped Claire from her hazy state. Her eyes widened.

"Right."

With newfound energy, she proceeded to put down her bag she was carrying and pulled out a laptop. She booted it, found the website, and called them over.

"Is this the creature you saw?"

On the screen was the same picture that had shocked Jim earlier.

Danny.

Eli gasped.

"Yes! That's it!"

Steve pushed Eli to the side and looked at it himself.

"Woah. Trippy."

"I know, right?" Toby replied.

Claire scrolled to the top of the page and sat down on the concrete. Hs emotioned for everyone to do the same. Jim sat down next to her.

"It says here that its a ghost, one of the more... _dangerous_ kind."

"A ghost?" Eli inquired, "That can't be right."

"You bet your Nougat Nummy it is!"

Ignoring Toby's remark, Claire continued, "So, That couldn't have been blood that you found."

"I know what I saw!" Eli yelled. "It's blood!"

"The buttsnack's right."

"So how can somebody be both _alive_ and dead?"

"I don't know!"

As the five argued, Jim stayed silent.

How _can_ someone be alive and dead? Could he be wrong about Danny Fenton? Maybe he was just acting crazy.

Or was he?

Jim remembered the ghostly book, nestled deep in his backpack. The book has the answers he needs, if only they could decode it. There was always the possibility of failing at doing so, but Jim had to take it out. The answers… they must be in there!

"Wait!" Jim yelled, catching the attention of the five. "I've got something that could help!"

Claire and Toby's eyes widened as they remember the book as well, while Steve and Eli remain as oblivious as ever. Jim didn't hesitate in ripping it out of his bag, and flaunting the glowing green cover to the five.

"Nice work, Jimbo!" Toby exclaimed as Steve and Eli marveled at the cover.

Eli interrupted, still staring at the book. "What is it?" He asked.

Claire stepped forward and gently took the book from Jim's outstretched hands, and flipped through its pages.

"It might hold the answers we need—"

"Neat!" Eli exclaimed, tripping over himself, to catch a glimpse of the pages….

….. only to see that the text was in another language.

Claire humphed.

"—If we can decipher it."

Eli, thoroughly disappointed, scanned the pages, attempting to find any reason with the strange lettering. In the end, he found nothing. Jim wasn't surprised.

"I don't get it!" Steve yelled, now flipping the book from page to page. "It's not in English!"

Jim grabbed the book from Steve, before he can ruin the sheets any further and gently placed it back in his bag. The rest remain stumped. Once again, they returned to the theory of the creeper.

Only, before they could say anything, the sun had almost sunk into the horizon. They were so preoccupied, they didn't notice how dark it was getting.

So, with a few goodbyes, each person went on their way.

Except for a boy, hidden in the bushes.

* * *

When Danny flew to the canals, he hadn't expected any company, especially company who were talking about him. The ghost side of him, that is.

And it wasn't just anybody, it was his very own "welcoming committee", Jim, Claire, and Toby, and two other kids who he didn't recognize.

Danny's curiosity got the best of him, and decided to eavesdrop.

He didn't get far, however, because it was then that he noticed a leather-bound book written with glowing green ink. Only, it wasn't just any ink, it was….

… _. Ectoplasm._

Ectoplasm?

Oh, he _had_ to check this out.

Danny flew invisibly towards a bush near the top of the canals, and peered downwards.

"It's getting late. We should… head home."

The voice, which belonged to Jim, was met with agreement from the others. The girl, Claire, handed the book back to him, and grabbed her bag. The book caught Danny's eyes again.

 _Wow._

"Who's there?"

Danny seized up, and instinctively turned invisible.

 _Crap._

"There's no one here, Jimbo."

"But… I was sure I saw…."

"I don't see anyone buttsnack."

"Yeah, what Steve said."

Danny released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, and sank into the bush.

 _That could've been bad._

"Well… okay. Let's go."

Jim gently placed the book back in his bag, and motioned for the others to head out. The group began walking.

With the book in the bag, Jim won't notice it missing until later.

 _I wonder…._

Danny, still invisible, flew out of his hiding spot in the bush, and followed him, careful not to make a sound. Jim trailed behind the group, walking slower and slower, until he stopped completely. Danny smiled as he neared Jim, and reached out his hand, ready to phase the book out of his bag. Danny felt the leather of the cover, and pulled it out, clutching it to his chest. Jim remained oblivious.

Or so he thought.

"Who's there? I know there's someone!"

Jim pulled out what looked like a blue stone, a _glowing_ blue stone, and waved it in front of him. The glow either turned brighter or dimmer, depending on which way it was facing.

In the increasing darkness of the night, the stone looked almost magical.

Danny caught himself staring at it, and hadn't noticed that the stone glowed brightest when pointed at him.

 _What the—_

Danny frantically flew away from the stone, but it seemed to follow him. He let out a squeal of terror, which alerted Jim to his presence.

"I know you're there!"

 _Oh no._

Jim was gaining on him; it was only a matter of time until he found him out.

He was tired, so tired. He can't fly home, he doesn't have the energy. If he tried, hell probably pass out midway, and end up anywhere in town. He dared not to risk it.

Danny grew restless, looking for an escape route, anywhere… _anywhere…_.

He stopped.

 _Trollmarket._

He'll go to Trollmarket! Jim can't follow him there.

Danny, with new energy, searched the walls for the marking he made earlier, and at last, found it. He phased through the wall, and promptly collapsed on the stone ground, exhausted.

Danny was about to take a nap, right then and there, until he remembered the reason why he went through all this trouble.

 _The book!_

Danny lifted homeless off of the floor and gently caressed the leather-bound book in his hands.

"This really _is_ ectoplasm."

He touched the marking with his hands, and stared at the green glow of the ink.

 _Wait, was it glowing before?_

Danny gasped as a searing pain fled up his fingers to his hands, and ripped them from the book. It fell to the floor, the sound echoing off of the cavern walls, as thigh Danny had dropped a brick instead of a book. He flinched.

 _That's not good._

Before Danny could recollect himself, the green glow coming from the book grew brighter.

Danny collapsed on the floor once again, though this time, out of pain, not exhaustion. Familiar rings of light washed over him, burning his vision, causing him to squeeze them shut. Danny braced himself for another wave of pain, but it didn't come. Tentatively, Danny opened his eyes again.

"What the heck just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened."

Danny seized up again and jumped off the floor. He backed up against the cavern wall as he cougar a glimpse of who the voice belonged to.

Danny gasped.

It was a violet beast in regal-like robes. The beast was surrounded by others like it, holding menacing spears and hungry expressions.

"I am Ursurna. And you, will come with me."

" _What?_ "

Two of the beasts behind the the one in robes, Ursurna, each grabbed one of Danny's arms, squeezing them. Danny struggled against their grip, but failed. Their grips were like stone.

As Danny struggled, Ursurna knelt to pick up a book on the floor.

Danny's book.

"Interesting… guards, take the human down, I would like to have a word with it."

Danny wheezed with pain.

"Oh, and please keep him alive. I can't speak with a corpse."

With this, Ursurna swept her robes behind her, and proceeded down the steps into Trollmarket.

Danny mentally berated himself.

 _What has he gotten himself into?_

* * *

 **The plot thickens! I have big plans for the fic, and with this chapter, I believe I found my motivation again. I'm excited for what you all have to say about this chapter, so please leave a review!**

 **The next chapters will come eventually, but expect the updates to be random, like I said before. I will try my best to update as soon as possible, but I can't make any promises.**

 **Until then, see you next decade!**

 **-TheZanyMaker**


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